Voting-machine.



K. FITZPATRICK.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILI-:D JUNE 21. |914.

Patented DBG. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-l-SHEET l.

COLUMBIA FLANonn/IPH Cc., WASHINGTON, D. c.

K. FITZPATRICK.

vom@ MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IUNEZ. l9l4- l Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KIRBY FITZPATRICK, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA.

VOTIN (Sr-MACHINE.

Application filed June 27, 1914.

To all whom z' may concern:

Be it kno-wn that I, KIRBY FITZPATRICK, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Oklahoma city, in the county ot' Oklahoma andState of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVoting-/Iachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in votingmachines, more particularly those which are to be used in po liticalelections, where there are several parties in the field and a number ofpositions to be voted upon.

The object of the invention is not only to simplify the construction andrender easier the use of the device, but to produce a voting machinewhich dispenses with machinery and can be used by persons unskilled inthe use of mechanism.

The invention consists in a voting machine having provision for voting`straight tickets and split tickets and arranged so that the vote foreither prevents a vote for the other.

The invention consists in one form in a voting machine having only onepiece to be operated by a voter whether the straight ticket or a splitticket be voted.

The invention further consists in a voting machine provided with severalreceptacles to receive the indicia of the voters choice and providedwith a closure to allow voting only in certain of and not all of thereceptacles at the same time.

The invention further consists in certain details of construction.

In the annexed drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of one form of thedevice, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a top view, parts beingbroken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is anenlarged detail. Fig. 5 is another enlarged detail. Fig. 6 is a planview of another form, partly breken away. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectionof the top'part of the device. Fig. 8 is a detail view.

In these drawings: The numeral 1 represents a box having the bottom 2,the ends 3 and plate 4 and filler 5 having the spacev 6 between them.There are no sides to the box but it is open-sided. The bottom 2 has onthe inside on top a number of circular recesses 7 and registeringtherewith the plate 4 has circular holes 8 of the same diameter as therecesses 7 and the filler 5 has smaller Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915. Serial No. 847,667.

circular holes 9 registering with the holes S and the recesses 7. In therecesses 7 and circular holes 8 are secured the lower ends 10 and upperends 11 of tubes 19. having an inner diameter substantially the same asthat of the circular holes 9, the tubes 12 having vertical slits 13. Inthe space 6 between the plate 4 and iiller 5 is placed an inner slide 14having circular holes 15 of substantially the same size as the holes 9,and a handle 16. On top of the iller 5 there is a thin top slide 17 alsohaving circular holes 18 of the same diameter as the holes 9. This tophas a handle 19 and is held in place by its edges passing under flangesat the sides of the top of the machine. Ir desired, there may be placedat the end of the machine a spring 2O to return the slides 14 and 17.Also there may be a lock 21 to fasten the slide 14 so that the box maynot be tampered with. At the bottom there may be a lip 22 hinged at 23so as to tilt up one end of the machine and thus incline the top. Suchconstruction as described is to be arranged as indicated in top view,Fig. 2, so that the voting machine may be used for straight tickets andsplit tickets77 for voting for oilicials and also for voting on anyquestion which may be before the people.

The tubes 12 are placed in rows, as many rows as there are parties inthe field, one end tube of each row being somewhat farther from the nexttube than are the other tubes from one another. The top or' the box withits plate, filler and two slides is of a size to cover the tops of allthe tubes, each tube having its complement of holes above it. The rowsof tubes are to be placed sufl'iciently far apart so that the desiredinformation as to parties and candidates may be placed on the top slide.

The use of the device is illustrated in Fig. 2. Upon the top of plate 17there is indicated that the top row of holes is for votes for thestraight ticket, the naines of the various parties being located each atits own hole. Under these and along each row of holes are placed thetitles of the olices for which votes are to be cast and the names of thecandidates for each otiice placed in rows under the appropriate partyname. At the last row may be placed the title oi any question to bevoted upon. It will be noticed that at this last row, there are to betwo holes as indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, the reason for which will beexplained. At this row of holes there is placed something to indicate anaflirmative and a negative vote. Each voter is given a number ofspheres. After deciding whether he will vote a straight ticket or asplit ticket, he prepares to cast his ballot. 1f a straight ticket, hegrasps the handle 19 and pulls the slide 17 until the holes 18 registerwith the holes 9. The slide 14 forms a bottom for these registeringholes 18 and 9. The voter places a sphere in the place he desires torvoting a straight ticket. After he retires, the oflicial pulls out theslide 14. This allows the sphere to run down the tube 12 below the holes18 and 9. Should the voter desire to vote a split ticket, he makes hischoice of the holes other than those for the straight ticket and placesspheres, one for each hole, as many as he chooses in these holes.r1`hese spheres rest upon the slide 14. After the voter retires, theoiilcial pulls out the slide 14 and the s veral spheres run down thetubes. By having the two holes 18 for the tubes for State questions, theholes in the iller, above these tubes, are open whatever be the positionof the top slide 17. After the sphere drops, the otcial releases theslide 14 and the spring 2O forces the slide 14 andk slide 17 back toplace.

.Vith such a device, it will be seen that there may be voting either torthe straight ticket or a split ticket but not for both. For it the topslide 17 be untouched, spheres may only be placed for a split ticket. 1fthe top slide 17 be moved for the straight ticket, the holes for a splitticket are closed.

To insure that any spheres improperly placed upon the slide 17 will notremain over the holes 18 in the slide 17, with the possibility or"dropping through when the movement of the slide 17 brings the holes 18into registry with the holes 9 in the filler 5, the otlicial may tilt orincline the top of the box by turning down the lip 22 which wouldelevate the end ot the box at the lip above the other end. This actionwould cause the improperly placed spheres to roll out of the shallowdepressions 18 in the slide 17 and thus remove them from the slide.Properly inserted spheres, having partially passed through the holes 18in the slide 17 and into the holes 9 of the iller 5, would not bedislodged by such tilting of the box.

After the polls have closed, the otiicial by visual inspection throughthe slits 13 may see the spheres in the tubes without unlocking the box.Also the tubes 12 are to have numbers placed upon them as indicated inFig. 4. These numbers are spaced apart the diameter of a sphere. As thespheres are all of the same diameter, the number ot spheres and votes,for each tube may be quickly determined by noticing the number at thetop of the column of spheres.

The depth of the holes in the filler is such that only one sphere at atime may be voted. Preferably the relation of the diameter of a sphereto the hole should be such that when a sphere is in place in a hole ofthe filler and resting on the slide 14, the parts will be locked.

On Sheet 1l is shown a modification of the device. lnstead oIP spheres,voting disks are used. rlhe top of the machine4 is made with slotsinstead of holes but placed in rows and lines as are the holes in theother form. And located at these slots is the same information as toparties, oiiices and names of candidates as in the other form. A frame24 has the holes 8 to receiveV the tops 11 of the tubes 12, arranged inrows and 'lines as in the other form. This frame 24 has the short slots25 placed across it in rows above the tops of the tubes 12. The grooves26 are arranged across it the other way, the grooves 26 connecting theslots 25. The frame 24 also has recesses 27 and 28 in which t theupturned projections 29 and 30 of a sliding plate 31 which comes betweenthe tops 11 of the tubes 12 and the bottom of Vthe frame 24. Theprojections 29 have the beveled edges 32 all in one direction. rllhissliding plate 31 has short slots 33 arranged in rows with the shortslots 25. In the frame 24, just above this recess 28 there is a curvedchannel 34 having the opening 35 toward the inside of the trame. In thischannel 34 is placed a bar 36 having the curved back 37 filling thecurved channel and a tlat face 38, the diameter of the bar and channelbeing the same, so that when the curved back 37 of the bar 36 iscoincident with the curve of the channel the flat face 38 of the bar isflush with the opening 35 and the main part of the bar 36 is within thechannel 34. Spaced lengthwise, this bar 36 has on the inside notches 39with curves 40 lengthwise and straight edges 41. At one end, the bar 36has an angular lug 42. The box is fitted with a cover 43 having slots 44coincident with the slots 25. In the grooves 26 are placed a number ofdisks 45 there being in each groove enough disks to partially but notentirely lill the grooves 26 throughout their lengths, such disksresting with their bottoms upon the top of the sliding plate 32. liViththis form of Voting machine, voting disks are used.

The voter places a disk in the desired voting slot 44 and presses itdown between the edges of two of the disks 45, pushing them along thegroove 26, the end disk 45 bearing against the projections 29 and 30 ofthe plate 31. The bar 36 is so placed in the machine that the projection42 comes opposite the line of disks at the upper end of the machine. Asin the other form, this line is for the straight tickets. Should avoting disk be placed in a slot 44 for the straight ticket, the lockingdisks 45 are so closely spaced that the end one bearing against theangular lug 42 partially turns the bar 36 in the channel 34 until theedge of the bar bears against all of the end locking disks in the otherlines or those for the split tickets T he voting disk thus passes downand rests upon the sliding plate 3l just above a tube and at the sametime through the locking disks and bar locks the other lines of disks sothat a disk may not be inserted' in any slot for a split ticket. 'lheoiiicial pulls out the sliding plate 3l and the voting disk drops intothe tube through the slot 33. The sliding plate 3l is then returned, thebeveled edges 32 bearing against the disks at that side and adjustingall o1c the locking disks. Should the voter vote a split ticket, thelocking disks would be forced against the edge of the bar 36 and turnthe angular lug 42 so as to lock the disks of the straight ticket slotsand prevent voting at these slots.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A voting machine, having two operative positions for means for votingstraight tickets and split tickets respectively, normally adjusted sothat the means for voting split tickets is in operative position, andprovided with means, consisting of only one piece to be operated by thevoter, to adjust the means for voting straight tickets in operativeposition, and means for re-adjustment to normal position after theoperation of the means for voting straight tickets.

2. A voting machine for voting straight tickets and split tickets andhaving tubes with open tops, a slide covering the tops of the tubes andhaving holes to register with the open tops of the tubes, a stationaryfiller above this slide and having holes alined with the tubes, andabove the filler, a second slide covering the holes in the ller andhaving holes to register with the holes in the filler.

3. A voting machine having tubes with open tops, a slide covering thetops of the tubes and having holes to register with the open tops of thetubes, a. iiller above this slide and having holes alined with thetubes, and above the filler, a second slide covering the holes in theiiller and having holes to register with the holes in the filler, incombination with spheres adapted in size to the tubes and alined holes,the holes in the top slide being of slight depth and the depth of theseholes and that of the holes in the filler combined being a littlegreater than half the diameter of the spheres.

et. A voting machine having means for three kinds of voting and providedwith means wholly distinct from the voting means, and consisting in onlyone piece to be operated by the voter for rendering constantly operativethe means for one kind of voting and rendering alternatively inoperativethe means for the remaining two kinds of voting.

5. A voting machine having means for three kinds of voting and providedwith means wholly distinct from the voting means, and consisting in onlyone piece to be operated by the voter for rendering constantly operativethe means for one kind of voting and rendering alternatively inoperativethe means for the remaining two kinds of voting and means for operationby the election oiiicial after each operation of the machine by a voter,to prevent any unauthorized operation of any of the voting means.

In testimony whereof I athx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

KIRBY FITZPATRICK.

Witnesses RALF H M C GLOTHLIN, K. MCGLoTHLrN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

